Ankrd2

ANKRD2 belongs to the conserved muscle ankyrin repeat protein (MARP) family.Also known as Arpp or stretch responsive muscle ANKRD2 gene contains 9 exons and spans about 12 kb. The 5-prime flanking region contains a TATA box and binding motifs for the muscle-specific transcription factors MYOD and for NF-kappa-B. Kemp et.al cloned mouse Ankrd2 and obtained a partial human ANKRD2 cDNA. The full-length 328-amino acid mouse protein contains an ATP/GTP-binding domain in its N-terminal half and an ankyrin repeat region in its C-terminal half. It also has a nuclear localization signal, 2 protein-destabilizing PEST sequences, and 2 phosphorylation sites. Northern blot and PCR analyses detected expression of mouse Ankrd2 only in tissues containing striated muscle. In situ hybridization of mouse embryos showed that Ankrd2 expression was restricted to the myotome of somites at day 9.5. At later developmental stages, Ankrd2 expression was stronger in outer back muscles than intercostal muscles, and it was not expressed in heart.